Robeco Schweiz AG Has $60.66 Million Holdings in Ecolab Inc. $ECL

Key Points

• Robeco Schweiz AG increased its stake in Ecolab by 26.5% in Q4 to 231,059 shares worth about $60.66 million, making Ecolab its 27thlargest position.
• Ecolab reported Q1 EPS of $1.70 (in line) and revenue of $4.07 billion (up 10% YoY), and set FY2026 guidance of 8.430–8.630 EPS with analysts projecting ~8.51 EPS and a consensus "Moderate Buy" target of $322.53.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.73 ($2.92 annualized, ~1.1% yield), while insiders showed mixed activity—Director David Maclennan bought 800 shares and another director sold 1,265 shares—and institutional ownership sits near 74.9%.

Robeco Schweiz AG grew its stake in Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL - Free Report) by 26.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 231,059 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 48,390 shares during the period. Ecolab accounts for about 1.4% of Robeco Schweiz AG's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Robeco Schweiz AG owned approximately 0.08% of Ecolab worth $60,658,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Wexford Capital LP acquired a new position in Ecolab during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Corundum Trust Company INC acquired a new stake in shares of Ecolab in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ecolab by 1,375.0% during the fourth quarter. Tradewinds Capital Management LLC now owns 118 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 88.7% during the third quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 117 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. 74.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Up 2.4%

Ecolab stock opened at $263.76 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.69, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.92. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $273.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $273.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Ecolab Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $249.04 and a fifty-two week high of $309.27.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.70. The firm had revenue of $4.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Ecolab had a net margin of 12.80% and a return on equity of 22.64%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. Ecolab has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.430-8.630 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 8.51 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.73 per share. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 17th. Ecolab's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ecolab news, Director David Maclennan bought 800 shares of Ecolab stock in a transaction on Monday, May 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $256.91 per share, for a total transaction of $205,528.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 24,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,224,929.30. The trade was a 3.41% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Tracy B. Mckibben sold 1,265 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $308.66, for a total value of $390,454.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 11,358 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,505,760.28. The trade was a 10.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas Exane reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $345.00 price objective (up from $330.00) on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Ecolab from $320.00 to $296.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Ecolab from $315.00 to $352.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Ecolab from $312.00 to $293.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Ecolab from $337.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.53.

Ecolab Profile

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.

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